Progressive Congressman Ro Khanna seemed to capitalize on the United Healthcare CEO assassination to inflame populist anger, but ended up slashing private health insurers' profit margins by $1.32 trillion. The water has increased.
Khanna (D-Calif.) initially claimed in Monday's X speech that “the seven major private health insurance companies collected $1.39 trillion in profits in 2023,” but later retracted that statement. However, he acknowledged that the figure represents revenue, not profit.
“It's ridiculous that big insurance companies are collecting trillions of dollars while Americans are desperate for every penny to pay for medical care. We need Medicare for All now. ” declared Silicon Valley's Paul.
His post was slammed in a community note, and Democratic representatives later acknowledged in a correction that the real profit numbers for the top seven health insurance companies were: Profit approaches $70.7 billion In 2023.
For comparison, total healthcare spending in the United States in 2023 was approximately $4.8 trillion. According to a study published in the journal Health Affairs. US gross domestic product Last year it was just under $28 trillion.
Last week, an assassin shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, in the early morning hours outside a Sixth Avenue hotel. His company is the largest private health insurance company in the United States.
Authorities confirmed Monday that they have detained tech genius Luigi Mangione, 26, as a suspect in the shooting.
Investigators suspect Mangione harbored a grudge against the medical industry, based on the X-rays on his X account and the fact that a book about chronic back pain was listed on his reading list on his Goodreads account. Sources previously told The Post that they suspect there may be. .
A former roommate suggested the now suspected killer may have fallen into a downward spiral after his own “traumatic” back injury, which required surgery.
Following Mr. Thompson's murder, many netizens praised his death and seemed to suggest that his company's denial of the patient's bill was justice. Former Washington Post media reporter Taylor Lorenz shockingly said she felt “joy” at the assassination.
Khanna, 48, has been a longtime supporter of Medicare for All. He argued that a single-payer system could reduce administrative costs and expand coverage.
But users on Monday derided him for fudging health insurance benefit numbers as he tried to tout the potential benefits of Medicare for All.
“This is not 'chat'. This is 'I don't know what you're talking about.'” User JB receives a needle at X.
“That's a pretty big correction… Another way to put this is, 'The seven largest insurance companies paid out more than $1 trillion to health care providers,'” said Sloan, founder and CEO of Engine. Barber said. reprimanded.
“Well, that's quite a correction.” Matthew Langdon I wrote it to X.
“Will your points be affected by being off by a factor of 20? Interesting,” Former Congressional Counsel Mike Stern thought so..
“What is its profit margin Ro?” User OriginalDangerRuss wrote. “If you're having trouble doing the math, even if we assume a 5.05% margin (gross) margin, the cost is still $1.3 trillion. This system sucks, but 'Medicare for All' has its own ) There are concerns.”
“In other words, 'American health insurance companies have paid out hundreds of billions of dollars in health care costs for their policyholders,'” said Barry, the user committee monitor. I wrote.
Medicare for All gained popularity among progressives in the 2016 election cycle when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) endorsed a version of it.
Despite its name, Sanders' version of Medicare for All departed significantly from Medicare by being much more comprehensive, with no premiums, deductibles, or copays. His plan also included hearing, dental, vision and long-term care.
